Who do you love most of all?

I had an interesting day last week. I wasn't feeling like the greatest Christian and I didn't feel that God was "blessing" me as much as some other days. So I got to thinking; why do I have these types of days? They don't happen very often, but it sure is a downer when they do. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that the days that I don't feel like a "good Christian" are those that I love myself more than I love Christ. As a child of God, my main goal in life isn't my own satisfaction or the fulfillment of my desires, it's to glorify God with my life, share the gospel with the unsaved, build up His church, and make sure that at all times; God is my all. I get distracted quite easily with the vast amount of tasks I need to accomplish at any given time and lose sight of my goal and this always results in a lack of joy and satisfaction. True joy comes from living out your purpose, and despite what the world may say; that purpose isn't self satisfaction.

Just wanted to share this thought because it really helped me put things into perspective. Enjoy the Christmas season dear friends, keep your thoughts focused on Christ and the amazing thing that happened over 2000 years ago when God Himself came down to earth and took the form of man so that He could die for sinners like me and you. Also, remember to use this time to serve others instead of expecting to be served by them.

Artem Popov

My dear friend Artem did the awesome design you see on my blog. He's pretty darn good at what he does and for those of you who know him, I'm preaching to the choir. He just put his portfolio up on his new website, so check it out. And if you haven't already done so, take a look at his blog, it's super dope.

A photo to add to his credibility as a professional:





Teebs

Chivalry

Yesterday I had the great displeasure of seeing quite a few displays of men who lacked courteousness, thoughtfulness, and just plain common sense. I don't know why I paid more attention to this yesterday than I usually do, but it really stuck out to me. I saw one scenario where a woman was walking up to a store with a baby on her hip and a big bag tucked under the other arm. Three men walk past her, fling the door open, and all walk in ahead of her; not thinking to hold the door. I'm not sure when it became okay for men to stop being chivalrous, but it is unacceptable. It's not okay to be so arrogant that you're completely oblivious to the people around you. Hold doors open for women, walk them to their cars/front doors, pay for them when you're able to, offer a jacket if it's cold outside. Show some class guys, act like gentleman! And don't forget to stay proper.

Blessings & Prayer

Lately I've been trying to make sure that I notice the many blessings in my life. The Lord really is good to me and all too often I pay too much attention to my trials, the difficulties in my life, shortcomings in my character and/or personality and not nearly enough to all the great things God does in my every day life. While it is, however, very important to pay attention to the not-so-pleasant things and learn from them; to dwell on the negative or difficult things is detrimental to our spiritual health and just downright unnecessary. I've been thinking more and more about how amazing it is that God saved me. This is something that's kind of become "normal" or even kind of old for me because I'm so focused on moving ahead in life, growing spiritually, and maturing as a man. What a shame that this isn't always something that makes me want to shout with joy! God saved me; a sinner, someone who hated Him. He saved me and made me His child. That's something to constantly be thankful for. God also gave me a family who loves me and is patient with me, He gave me friends who accept me and help me grow, He gave me a church where I can work to build up His kingdom and am surrounded by people who encourage me and whose lives are an example to me. There's just so much in my life to be thankful for, and so many things that aren't even on my radar that the Lord does for me every second of my life. Be thankful to God for your life. Praise Him for His goodness, His love, His care, and His patience. Don't grumble, don't dwell on the difficulties; but instead rejoice in the fact that God has given you what He's given you and use it to glorify Him with every breath He graciously grants you.

Another thing that's becoming more commonplace in my life (unfortunately quite late) is regular prayer; a deeper communion with God. I'm starting to see the importance of bringing everything to God and truly trusting Him with it. I'll be honest, my prayer life is pretty weak. I'm working on fixing that, but for a long time this wasn't something that I saw as being all that important and therefore I didn't actively work on it. I've been seeing the horrible flaw with this kind of thinking and just how much it has stunted my spiritual growth. What I've been doing recently is making prayer lists for different days of the week and actually making myself stick to them. It's such a simple thing to do, but it has very unfortunately taken me a long time to figure that out. I've experienced a HUGE blessing in seeing God actually answering prayers and seeing that He does actively work in our lives. I urge all of you to be intentional about your prayer lives if you aren't already doing so. Don't be like me, be proactive in prayer!

Texts with Artem

My good buddy Artem and I text quite a bit and we end up having some interesting conversations from time to time, to say the least. Earlier today we were talking about which was better; coffee or tea. Artem was rooting strongly for tea, and I was the in the opposite corner defending my dear black friend coffee. I asked Artem to write me up a thesis and present his argument and I must say, he did a mighty fine job and all in under ten minutes. Check it out:

"Tea is a wonderful beverage. It has been scientifically proven to have many health benefits to the human race. Throughout the years, it has been used both for medicinal purposes or simply enjoyed in a recreational setting. It contains no harmful substances, aside from a minute amount of caffeine, and does not cause physiological addiction.

Coffee, on the other hand, is largely responsible for the largest drug addiction in the world. Many caffeine junkies absolutely need their morning jolt and can't function regularly without it. Demand for coffee also fuels harsh labor practices and unfair working conditions for third world countries. Moreover, coffee snobs tend to be pretentious elitists, while connoiseurs of tea tend to be refined and polite individuals. Coffee also tastes like boiled sewage without the addition of cream or sugar."

Well done sir, (slow clap) well done...

Cellular Telephone Photography

So my friend Kae inspired me to browse through all of the pictures I've been taking on my phone by doing an awesome post on her blog. I've selected a handful of the ones I found to post on here to give a brief glimpse of the last eights months or so of my life (a very brief glimpse). These are in no particular order because... I didn't feel like taking the extra time to organize them.

My friends Katya, Alesya, and Diana when we were hiking the Old Salmon River Trail.

The view from the spot where we camped for Mary's birthday.

My good friend Artem being a boss, chowing down on some sunflower seeds.

 One of the waterfalls along the Eagle Creek Trail.

 Some cool street art in SE Portland.

Artem and Joey being cheesy when we hiked the Angel's Rest Trail.

My buddies Nik and Mark when we hiked the Saddle Mountain Trail.

Old Salmon River.

Sitting on a rooftop in SE Portland, checking out the awesome sunset.

Artem and George being tough guys on the Saddle Mountain Trail.

 Awesome beard on some street art in SE Portland.

Beautiful day while hiking the Saddle Mountain Trail with my fellowship group.

Really cool old school Porsche I saw when I was in Los Angeles for the Shepherd's Conference.

 My sweet little niece, Versavia.

Hanging out by the Willamette River on the East side of Portland.